Umm el-Jimal

About

Umm el-Jimal was founded as a small settlement by the Nabataeans in the 1st century BC. Under the Romans it was greatly expanded in the 2nd century AD, and Umm el-Jimal was greatly expanded as an important military base in the 2nd century AD. The settlement continued to flourish under the Byzantines and Umayyads, but following an earthquake in 747 and the Abbasid’s moving of their capital to Baghdad, it was left abandoned. Today, visitors can explore the ruins of 150 buildings to see a rural counterpoint to the grandeur of royal cities. The Roman-era barracks still has a functional swinging basalt door, and is accompanied by a Byzantine-era chapel, which bears simple inscriptions of the archangels’ names. Residences range from the large sheikh’s house, with its expansive courtyard, stables, and gravity-defying stairs to house XIII - a stable for goats and sheep that was later used as a residence by Druze settlers.